


the time it takes to get somewhere

by ohcinnamon



Category: Bandom, Set It Off (Band)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Pining, they're just really oblivious all the time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 04:46:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17359232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohcinnamon/pseuds/ohcinnamon
Summary: Here’s how it works:Maxx joins the band, and they love him. The fans, the boys, everyone. Cody’s kind of enchanted with him from the get-go.aka: the one where they're big pining babies but are too afraid to say anything (that relatable gay shit, you know).





	the time it takes to get somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> guess who's back?
> 
> (title from "cough it out" by the front bottoms)

Here’s how it works:

Maxx joins the band, and they love him. The fans, the boys, everyone.

Cody’s kind of enchanted with him from the get-go; the way his glasses slide down his nose, the way he folds his legs up when he sits on the couch, the scattering of freckles across his cheeks that come out when he’s been in the sun too long. He blushes so easily, and has this high-pitched laugh that sort of bursts out of him, and it’s like he’s this short, blonde, _missing_ piece of his life that Cody never really noticed until he came along.

They’re in the studio, recording something for _Horrible Kids._ He watches Maxx drum, watches how his tongue darts out playfully, and yells something along the lines of “ _you’re gonna catch flies if you don’t close your mouth, dipshit!”_ — to which Maxx just licks one of his drumsticks and chucks it at Cody.

 _“That’s true love, right there,”_ Cody had joked, and Maxx had lit up like a fucking Christmas tree, and Cody had felt some weird sort of spark between them. Maxx goes back to drumming, but Cody keeps watching, half zoned-out.

Dan catches him staring, smiles that ‘ _I-know-what-you’re-thinking_ ’ best friend kind of smile. “You like him, don’t you?”

Cody scrunches up his nose, confused. “What? No? I’ve never liked boys, Dan. What makes you think that?”

Dan just shrugs. “Just because you haven’t before doesn’t mean you don’t now, C. I’ve known you for years. You don’t look at just anyone that way.”

 _Fuck. He might be onto something._ Cody does his best to shake it off, downplay it as much as he can. “Yeah, whatever. I’ve never seen you look at someone the way you look at a bag of Sour Patch Kids, so.”

Dan rolls his eyes, a smile on his face. He sees right through Cody, at least. “Whatever, man. Just admit that you think he’s cute, dude.”

He _is_ cute. That’s the thing. Cody has never found a boy so _cute_.

He ignores it — for now, at least. He’s not going to let it get in the way of the music. Things are finally starting to fall into place.

 

—

 

Cody kisses him too early.

He hadn’t known he was going to do it, hadn’t even known that he _wanted_ to do it, until it happened.

Here’s how it happens:

It’s after a show, actually, when it happens. They’re all somewhat tipsy, and Dan is driving them to Waffle House, and the show just went so _well_ that everyone’s high on the feeling. _Take This To Your Grave_ is cranked up almost to full volume, and Dan keeps doing his fucking baby-voice, and Zach keeps yelling the lyrics out the window for no goddamn reason at all. It’s perfect. Maxx leans into his side, doubled over in a fit of giggles, radiating _happyhappyhappy_.

And while they’re laughing, Cody looks at him. Like, _really_ looks at him, for the first time. His mouth is still half-open in laugher, eyes squeezed shut in glee, and he’s just so _pretty_. He’s new and exciting compared to everything else around him, and that makes Cody want to do things he’d never really considered before.

So he does, before he can think about it too much and psych himself out. Cody leans in and catches his lips while he’s still smiling, and Maxx hums happily against his mouth. He kisses back, soft — something that Cody had hoped he’d do, but wasn’t entirely expecting — and immediately melts in Cody’s hands. It’s like the world stops, just for a second, just for them, and all Cody can think is _MaxxMaxxMaxx._ They’re surrounded by people, but for right now, they’re the only two that matter. For one sole, fleeting moment, everything else is a blur.

And then Zach starts yelling from the passenger seat again, and Austin’s elbow is jabbing into his side, and he pulls away, but Maxx is still glowing. He’s still golden. He is magic.

Dan gives him a knowing smile in the rearview mirror, and Cody knows he’s fucked.

 

—

 

It eventually becomes evident — as in, after a few years of figuring things out — that Maxx would give him the world. Cody knows this.

He practically handed his heart to Cody early on, held it out and didn’t care if it was returned. He never straight up said it, but Cody knew. If he ever came up with a solid answer, actually decided on what he wanted, Maxx would be there. Cody, however, can’t quite come to terms with it — he’s _scared_. He’s a coward.

So Cody dates around, and Maxx is _“fine”_ with it. He always says he’s over it, so Cody pushes whatever happened between them down and moves on with his life.

But there’s this small, tiny little inkling of him that knows they’re both lying. It knows that they’re both too scared to confront each other and see what it means. They are boats drifting in the night, close enough to see but just far enough out of reach that they keep missing each other, over and over again.

They go back and forth like this for years. It gets them nowhere, but it puts them within the relative safety of never having to confront the problem.

 

—

Here’s how _it_ happens, the _it_ it:

Cody’s sitting on the couch, half-watching some British TV show he doesn’t know the name of — he’s too preoccupied with every feeling he’s been avoiding for years finally crashing down on him. Maxx has a date with some dude he met on Tinder tonight, and a nasty mix of anxiety and discontent is building up in his gut. As much as he tries to get rid of his negativity, it’s not going away any time soon. The thought had always kind of been there in the back of his mind, but it’s just now rearing its ugly head in the presence of Maxx actually moving on.

He’s _lonely._ Not just lonely, but like… _jealous_ lonely, which is even worse.

And he shouldn’t care, shouldn’t get the _right_ to care, because Maxx has been putting up with him dating around for years, even though everything is supposedly cool between them. He’s a good guy; he deserves to be with someone who makes him happy. Someone who isn’t constantly afraid to act. Someone who can sweep him off his feet.

It’s just that Cody just wishes it was him.

“Earth to Cody. You in there, buddy?”

Cody starts, nearly jumping out of his skin when he realizes Maxx is standing right in front of him. “Fuck, dude, you scared me.”

“Shit, man,” Maxx says, taking in his disheveled appearance. “Are you okay?”

“I mean, I’ll be fine,” Cody says, waving him off. Somehow, hearing his voice only drives the knife of how fucking _lonely_ he is in even farther. _Imagine that_. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“No, stop that, you’re not okay. We’re going to have a movie marathon right now.” He stops for a second, his expression going soft, and Cody feels his heart start to melt. “You don’t have to pretend to be okay around me. You know that.”

Cody frowns. “Don’t you have a date tonight?”

Maxx shakes his head, shoving his phone into his back pocket. “Nah, that fell through. Pick some movies. We’re hanging out tonight.”

“You sure?” Cody asks. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Of course I’m sure,” Maxx answers, as if the choice is obvious. “We’re gonna gorge ourselves on popcorn and melt into the couch from watching the entire Star Wars collection, dammit.”

Cody feels himself beaming, warmth pooling in his chest and spreading outward. “You’re the best, Maxx.”

“I know I am.”

The quiet between them as the night goes on is comfortable, for the most part. Maxx kicks his feet up, resting them in Cody’s lap, and the physical contact makes him explode with warmth. He wishes he could fully express how grateful he is to have Maxx. He wants to tell him how he makes every problem matter so much less, how he makes the world melt away.

“Thank you for this,” Cody finally settles on saying, gazing at Maxx sheepishly.

“It’s really not a problem. You know I’d do anything for you.” Maxx looks back at him, his expression going soft, and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

 _If I kissed you again_ , Cody thinks, _would you kiss me back? Would you melt for me again, like the first time?_

He knows that Maxx sees the way his gaze flickers down to his lips. He’s not stupid. He’s one of the smartest people Cody knows. The question is whether or not either of them have enough guts to ignore their brains and do something about it.

Maxx breaks the tension. “I’m gonna go make more popcorn. You don’t have to pause for me, I’ve seen this movie a million times.”

 _Oh thank god_ , Cody thinks, inwardly relieved. He watches Maxx hightail it to the kitchen, focusing harder than he needs to on the microwave, and his heart aches. They could be _so_ close, if only he was a little bit braver. Just then, Maxx’s phone buzzes and lights up with a text message, breaking him out of his thoughts.

_Really, you’re standing me up? Fucking asshole. Don’t text me again._

Cody’s chest squeezes tight, because this is something he definitely wasn’t meant to see. This doesn’t concern him.

And yet it _does_ , because Maxx lied to him. His date was never cancelled. He stood up his date for Cody without a second thought. He’s standing in the kitchen, staring at the popcorn bag slowly spinning around in the microwave, totally unaware that he’s just shifted the playing field beneath the both of them.

After Maxx returns, Cody sits on his thoughts for about five minutes before he decides he can’t take it anymore. It's been too many years of letting this shit build up — he needs to say something now.

“I made up my mind,” he says, breaking the comfortable silence.

“About what?” Maxx asks, even though Cody knows that he knows already. He wants to hear it out loud.

“Us,” Cody says, and his heart is beating so hard it’s going to tear right out of his chest if he’s not careful. “If you could… call it that.”

“How so?”

Maxx’s gaze is boring right into him, and Cody swears he should be able to see into his soul by now. He swallows his pride. “I know that you stood up your date for me. Why?”

That’s all it takes — Maxx doesn’t even try to fight it. He just looks away and shrugs, like it’s not a big deal, even though Cody knows him, knows it must weigh heavy on his mind. “You were upset. You’re more important.”

Cody watches him look down, then back up, like he’s trying to find his footing. Finally, they lock eyes once more, and the heat in Maxx’s gaze is mirrored by his own. He puts on a show of false confidence, squaring his shoulders. “That tells me everything I need to know.”

When Maxx leans across the couch and kisses him, it takes him right back to the first time — the _only_ time, until now — and he feels young and full of wonder and his stomach is doing somersaults all over again. He still loves the way Maxx blushes, and his sun-kissed scattering of freckles, and the way laughter bursts out of him, but now he can say it. He can _show_ it.

And it’s just like the first time they kissed but _better_ , so much better, because there’s nothing to pull them apart anymore. No more fear, no more denial, no people around them to judge what they see. It’s just them, and that’s perfect.

“This is literally the most cliché thing ever,” Cody murmurs, catching his breath in between kisses, “but I’ve wanted to kiss you like this for so long.”

“Upstairs?” Maxx mumbles against his lips, and he pulls back enough to nod fervently. _Yes, yes, please yes,_ he thinks, breaking away long enough for them to get where they’re going. _I just want to be close to you._ He makes it to the top of the stairs before latching onto Maxx again, one hand on his cheek and the other arm wrapped around his waist and their knees bumping together and their lips colliding clumsily and.... _and…_

This might be his only chance to do this. He’s not letting go of it.

They stumble into Maxx’s room, both of them fumbling for the light switch and laughing when it takes a couple of tries. Pistol’s meowing in protest, since they’ve shut her out of the room for the time being, which makes them laugh even harder. This feels so… _natural_ , like coming home. It’s perfect.

Maxx falls backward onto the bed, Cody quickly clambering up after him, and _god,_ he is beautiful. A deep blush settling across his cheeks, pale eyes shining up at him, hair falling on the mattress around his head like a dirty blonde halo; he’s an angel. An angel who would do anything for Cody, and if that doesn’t trigger the guilt in his stomach, then he doesn’t know what would.

He looks so different from the day they first met — they’d both grown into men together, but Cody had never realized how striking the difference was until now. He used to be so small, the scrawniest of them all, and now it’s like he’s a completely different person. Cody allows himself to run his fingers across the broadness of his shoulders, kiss along the sharp angle of his jaw. He’s different from the kid Cody kissed years ago, sitting in the backseat of the car. He’s not the same kid himself, either. They’ve both done a lot of growing up.

He jolts back to reality when Maxx sucks gently on his bottom lip — he’s so fucking glad he hasn’t been wearing the lip ring as much lately, thank _god_ — and all of his insides turn to mush. “I wanna… try something. Can you lay down on your back, baby?”

“Yeah, of course, anything,” Cody breathes out, reversing their positions and thinking _baby, baby, he called me baby_. He’ll do whatever Maxx wants, drop everything to attend to him. It’s the least he can do after making him wait so long for an answer. “ _Anything_.”

“Relax, babe,” Maxx soothes, brushing the hair out of his eyes. He pushes Cody back, pinning his hands against the bed. “I’m gonna take good care of you.”

And, shit, if that’s not the hottest thing that’s ever happened to him.

 

—

 

Maxx is still wrapped around him when he wakes up, and Cody’s has never been so thankful to feel his hair tickling his face. Part of him knows that Maxx wouldn’t have left him after what they did, that he’s not that kind of person, but the weight of an arm draped across his chest is an extra affirmation in this weird, uncertain limbo he’s facing.

He’s somewhat sore — that’s a feeling he’ll have to get used to, _jesus_ — but otherwise? He feels golden. He feels like magic. He feels like his heart is going to burst right out of his chest, and he needs Maxx to wake up _right now_ so that he can tell him that.

Almost as if on cue, Maxx begins to stir, groaning softly as the sunlight hits his eyes. However, his annoyance vanishes when he sees Cody in bed next to him, replaced by a lazy, sleepy smile. “Oh, hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Cody murmurs, bumping their noses together. Maxx pecks him softly on the corner of the mouth, and he breaks into a grin. “How’re you feeling on this fine morning?”

“Like a big ball of sunshine,” Maxx responds, stretching his arms out as he breaks into a yawn. “But you probably already know that.”

“Why didn’t I let you do that earlier?” Cody asks, and Maxx huffs out a slight laugh, and leans forward to brush his lips underneath his jaw. “Not just this, but like… everything.”

“I don’t know, Carson, you tell me,” he murmurs, not even slightly deterred.

“You have been smothering me in kisses ever since last night,” Cody mumbles, chuckling softly as Maxx presses another to his cheek in response. “God, you’re so into this.”

“Well… _yeah_ ,” Maxx says, a _Cody-are-you-stupid_ tone to his voice. “I’m kinda into _you_. You’re kinda into me, too, if I read the signs right. Did I?”

“Yeah, you did,” Cody says, his voice going quiet. He sighs, feeling the guilt begin to creep back into his chest. “Don’t ever think that I’m _not_ into you, because, like… I am. I’m just really bad at expressing things in general.”

“I know, baby,” Maxx soothes, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s okay. I know you, and I know how you are, and I like you the way you are.”

“I made you wait so long,” Cody murmurs, soft. “You waited for me for years. Why? Why did you stick around?”

Maxx just stares back at him, patient as always. He’s an open book, vulnerable and sweet in the golden light flooding in through the window. It makes something like infatuation swell in his chest, and Cody thinks he gets it now. “Because it was _you_.”

Cody swallows his pride once more. “I think… I think it’s always been you, too. I just. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to cope with that.”

“I know that, too,” Maxx says, pulling him in and cradling his head against his chest. “It’s okay. I’m not upset or anything. I never was.”

“I like you. A lot,” Cody says quietly, playing with his hands, uncertain. Maxx kisses the top of his head, urging him to go on, and he feels like his heart is going to fall out of his mouth. “So… what do we do about that?”

“Well, first of all, I like you too,” Maxx says, deadpan but amused. “I mean, obviously. That’s a big hurdle out of the way.”

“Shut up,” Cody mumbles, and Maxx can’t hold back his chuckles anymore. “I’m serious! I don’t know how to do this.”

“How about we start with something simple?” Maxx suggests. “Let me take you on a date, maybe?”

“Okay, yeah, I’d like that,” Cody agrees, feeling his heartbeat begin to slow down. “That… makes sense.”

“Good! Because I like you a lot, and I’d like to date you,” Maxx says. “Now say that last part back to me.”

Cody rolls his eyes, but complies. “ _I like you a lot, and I’d like to date you._ ”

“See? You’re a natural,” Maxx teases, and despite the fact that Cody _could_ elbow him in the stomach for making fun of him, he kind of just wants to make out again instead. Later, though.

“So what now? Should we come out? How should we do it?” Cody asks, a million questions racing through his brain at once.

Maxx laughs softly, kissing the top of his head again, and this is the _safest_ he’s ever felt. This is home. “Baby steps, Cody. Baby steps. I was thinking we could tell the guys first, and go from there.”

“Oh, so you’ve been _thinking_ about this?”

“I’ve been _thinking_ about you from day one.” Maxx grins, his eyes lighting up. “You know that. Why do you think I auditioned to be in your band in the first place?”

Cody’s stomach flips again, just like the first time. “Well, shit, I guess I’m just that cute.”

“You have no idea, you idiot.”

For the first time in a long time, everything is falling right into place. They are golden.


End file.
